Bats
Bats can be fascinating to preschoolers, and not just at Halloween! For a bat craft, make these fun bats using paper cups.
Songs:
THIS LITTLE BAT (tune: “Mulberry Bush”) This little bat flaps its wings/ flaps its wings, flaps its wings, This little bat flaps its wings / And flies back home in the morning.
TWINKLE LITTLE BAT (tune: “Twinkle Little Star”) Twinkle, twinkle little bat / How I wonder where you’re at. Up above the world you fly / eating bugs that flitter by. Twinkle, twinkle little bat, / How I wonder where you’re at.
Flannel Board:
“Hide and Seek with Little Bat”: need felt bat, big yellow hat, baseball bat, welcome mat, gray cat, all in flannel. Little bat likes to play hide & seek! / He’ll hide while you close your eyes, But don’t you dare peek! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 / Ready or not, here we come! Where are you hiding, little bat, little bat? / Are you behind the big yellow hat? Where are you hiding, little bat, little bat? / Are you behind the baseball bat? Where are you hiding, little bat, little bat? / Are you under the welcome mat? Where are you hiding, little bat, little bat? / Are you behind the big gray cat? (Thanks to Beverly Wrigglesworth of the San Antonio PL).
BOOKS
Appelt, Kathi. BAT JAMBOREE and sequels. In this rhyming counting book, bats hold a party at an abandoned drive-in movie theatre.
Berk, Ari. NIGHTSONG. With dramatic illustrations by Loren Long, we hear about Chiro’s first flight.
Colandro, Lucille. THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A BAT. A Halloween-themed twist on the popular children’s song.
Davies, Nicola. BAT LOVES THE NIGHT. A realistic look at a mother bat.
Dyer, Sarah. BATTY. Turn the book upside down to see the zoo from Batty’s perspective as he imitates the other animals.
Jennings, Patrick. BAT AND RAT. Best friends Bat and Rat play music together.
Lies, Brian. BATS AT THE BEACH. A rhyming text describes a bat beach party on the night of the full moon. Also look for Bats at the Library and Bats at the Ballgame.
Lunde, Darrin. HELLO, BUMBLEBEE BAT. A very simple nonfiction book on the tiny bumblebee bat, an endangered species in Thailand.
Mitchard, Jacquelyn. BABY BAT’S LULLABY. A lilting rhyme is paired with beautiful acrylic and oil paintings to depict a barn bat mother and child.
Mollel, Tololwa. A PROMISE TO THE SUN. An African folktale that explains why bats only come out of their caves at night.
Waring, Geoff. OSCAR AND THE BAT. Oscar the cat learns to use his ears to determine sounds around him, from this friend the Bat. A very simple science story.